Once Were Friends
by Happy Papy Writes
Summary: Something's been tugging at the back of Undyne's mind. Something about the human she's trying to kill once being her friend...
1. Chapter 1

**Friends Once Again: Chapter One**

 **By MarshmallowPapyLove**

It is silent. Undyne waits atop the cave entrance to Hotland. She couldn't admit it, but something has been tugging on her mind since she started chasing after the human.

Before she had seen the human, she already heard enough about them from other monsters. Word travels around the underground really quickly, and she overheard some monsters say the human was actually pretty… _nice_? Ugh, she couldn't even bare the word. Even her own guards are falling for the human's tricks. Even _Papyrus_ , who looks up to her and practically does everything to make her proud, is falling for it.

And as if all of that isn't enough, Undyne can't shake of these… _thoughts_ that have been ringing in her head for a while.

At first, she thought it was just an echo flower. Those things are scattered around Waterfall everywhere. But they continued, each telling a different recollection, each trying to remind her about something…

 _Undyne looks at the child, who has their head in their arms._

" _Are you all right now?" She asks, sitting next to them._

 _They look up and nod, wiping tears off their face._

 _She smiles, trying to make them feel better. "They won't bother you again, we'll make sure of that. Plus, you won against me. A bunch of kids trying to make themselves look better than you is something you can handle."_

" _Don't worry about it." She adds, ruffling the child's hair. The child smiles in response, and embraces them into a tight hug._

Undyne shakes her head. She looks around. What's taking that human so long? She could feel the wind blow past her armor, but it's too thick. She's getting a little hot inside. Tsk, they're probably too scared to face her. Maybe they're trying to get help from Monster Kid. Undyne frowns. Monster Kid basically worships her, they're like her creepy stalker from those movies Alphys and her watched, yet even _they_ fell for the human's "kindness". What gives? Why is the human so nice to everyone? It even sickens her sometimes. There _has_ to be some ulterior motive behind it…

 _Undyne can't believe it. After years and years of working through this, they've finally done it. They broke the barrier. And not a single soul had to be sacrificed._

 _She takes a moment to inhale and feel the earth around her. It's all so surreal, yet she can't help but feel excited. She turns to her friend, the human who freed them all. To think she once tried to_ kill _them!_

"… _this is what you live with?" She asks, bewilderedly. "The sunlight is so nice…and the air is so fresh! I really feel alive!"_

 _They give her a knowing smile. No wonder they never stopped at anything to get back up here. And in her heart, Undyne's happy that they didn't._

Suddenly, Undyne hears footsteps. It must be the human. Wonder why they took long enough?

"Seven."

The human doesn't respond.

"Seven human souls, and King Asgore will become a god."

This is it, this is the moment all the monsters in the underground have been waiting for their whole lives. She can feel it…yet, why is there something pulling her back in the back of her mind…?

She shakes it off. Turning to the human, she continues. "Six. That's how many we've collected thus far. Understand?

"Through your seventh and final soul, this world will be transformed.

"First, however," she adds, "as is customary for those who've made it this far, I shall tell you the tragic tale of our people. It all started, long ago…"

 _She could feel the thorns piercing her sides, but she isn't even close to letting that wretched flower hurt her friend. With all her might, she summons a spear to protect them from its attack._

" _Hey! Human!" She grins, not letting the pain get to her. She_ has _to help them. She knows they can do it. "If you got past ME, you can do anything!_

" _So don't worry, we're with you all the way!"_

Undyne stops. What's the point? The human wouldn't live to remember what she says, anyway! Why waste their time? Why waste _her_ time?

"No. You know what? Screw it!" She shouted, her emotions tipping her to boiling point. "WHY SHOULD I TELL THAT STORY WHEN YOU'RE ABOUT TO DIE?!"

She screams, and in a flash of light, her helmet is gone. She turns around, finally getting a look at the human. They haven't changed much. They even have that stick they've been carrying around since they last met. And they still have that gross bandage. She notices that they're still wearing a striped shirt.

What a brat! They _lied_ to Papyrus! They told him they're wearing a tutu! Who could ever lie to that guy?

"YOU!" She snaps, her eyes sending daggers toward the human. "You're standing in the way of everybody's hopes and dreams! Alphys's history books made me think humans were cool... ...with their giant robots and flowery swordswomen."

She glares. "BUT YOU? You're just a coward! Hiding behind that kid so you could run away from me again!"

She stops, that tingling feeling coming back again. "And! And!"

Whatever drove her to feeling the need to, she brings it up. "…and something's been bothering me, too. The whole time I was chasing after you... I felt something... Strange."

" _Hey!" Undyne greets loudly through the phone. She's glad the human picked it up. "Uh…this is Undyne."_

 _Papyrus makes squealing noises that are barely comprehendible. She gives him a look. "Shut up, Papyrus, this was YOUR idea…" She whispers. Papyrus is a great friend and all, but with his racket she could never get a proper conversation with their friend._

" _HUMAN! You have to deliver something for me!"_

 _Papyrus nudges her then gives her a slight frown. She smiles apologetically. "Uh…please?" She adds, hoping to sound less demanding._

" _I'm at Snowdin in front of Papyrus's. See 'ya, punk!" She says with a dorky grin, ending the call. Papyrus gives her a thumbs up, and she sighs in relief. It's really nice to have a friend willing to help you out…even though you wishes you had the guts to do it yourself. Undyne cringes slightly. Well, there are some battles you're not meant to fight in…_

"The echoes of something warm, something... Something like 'I miss being friends with you'." She explains as her voice fades away. Why is she having these memories? What's wrong with her? She would _never_ befriend a human. _Especially_ after they've trapped them underground for a long time. This human's SOUL is their key to freedom, and that's all she and all monsters have ever wanted, so there's no way she would ever spare one.

"BUT THAT'S RIDICULOUS! I WOULD NEVER GET CHUMMY WITH A COWARD LIKE YOU! You!"

In frustration, she hastily draws a conclusion for these "memories". "You must have been mind-controlling me! Manipulating people to make them like you... What a Grade-A FREAK! Now enough!"

She has had it with the human's mind games. It's time to end this once and for all.

"For everyone's hopes! For everyone's dreams! And for my own freaking dignity! I, UNDYNE, will knock you down!"

Undyne jumps down from the cave and engages in the fight she's been waiting for.


	2. Chapter 2

**Friends Once Again: Chapter Two**

Undyne jumps down from the cave and engages in the fight she's been waiting for.

The human's red SOUL appears in front of her. With a slash on her spear, it turns green.

"As long as you're green, you can't escape." She explains to the confused-looking human. It may be an illusion, but as much as she wants to get rid of them, she wants to be fair in all her victories—especially the ones that matter the most. "Unless you learn to face danger head-on, you won't last a SECOND against ME!"

And to keep her promise of fighting with just, she gives the human a better thing to defend themselves with instead of that stick that she knows won't block a single attack. She conjures up a spear and tosses it to the human. She then sends three spears flying toward them, but in a less quick pace than her usual. The human successfully blocks all of her attacks, not even trying to struggle to escape first.

She flashes a menacing smile. Well, it seems that the human knows how to block the spears. It's time she gets into _real_ action.

"Not bad. Then how about _this_?"

Undyne starts throwing spears from all directions. The human frowns briefly but manages to block all of them.

Thinking of her friends, and the thought of this human becoming one, she pounds the ground with her fists.

"For years, we've dreamed of a happy ending."

Faster spears fly through the air in an attempt to hit the human.

"I won't let you snatch it away from us!"

Undyne charges quicker, and quicker, with the freedom of her people on her fingertips. They aren't fighting back. This is going to be easier than she expected. Then again, they would probably run away at the first sight of escape.

"Ngaah, enough warming up!"

Well, she tried not to give them that chance. But the magic required to turn a SOUL into another color was too energy-consuming, so in order to gain it back for stronger attacks, Undyne turns the human's SOUL back to its red state and flings a spear at the human. However, the human quickly moves out of the way, leaving Undyne a bit surprised. She's sure they'll escape now, being the coward they are.

But no, they have the nerve to _challenge_ her.

"Your attacks are too easy," they seem to be saying, sticking their tongue out.

Undyne frowns. 'If that's what they think, I don't mind the thought of making them faster. Seems less boring, doesn't it?'

Surprisingly, the human still manages to dodge them with ease, as if they've already mastered her attacks. How can this be possible? Her spears keep missing!

Undyne bounces impatiently. This is taking longer than she thought.

"Look, even if I SPARE you, no human has ever made it past ASGORE." She says, flipping her spear. She manages to regain her energy. Turning the human's SOUL into green once more, she starts flinging spears from different directions simultaneously. One of them finally hits the human, and they remain dazed for a few moments.

Undyne holds her fist in front of her and shakes her head. 'That's what you get for challenging _me_.'

Suddenly, the human pleads.

'Is this some kind of game? They challenge me _then_ plead? What the hell!' She thinks, as she furrows her eyebrows.

They tell her they just want to be friends.

Undyne stops for a moment. 'They just…want to be…friends?'

" _Well, that was fun, huh?" Undyne grins sheepishly. "We'll have to hang out again another time!"_

"… _But, uh, somewhere else, I guess." She adds in regards to her now-flaming house._

They remind her of someone…then her mind wanders off to what Papyrus had said to her before she first saw the human.

"You don't have to destroy them," was what he said.

Her attacks become less extreme.

"What kind of mind games are you playing now?!" She asks furiously. "Stop it with your goody-two-shoes shtick! That won't lead you anywhere. Now, FIGHT ME!"

The human pulls their arm backwards and lands a fake hit on her.

She stops, and gives them a look mixed with confusion, anger, and…a will to stop. The fake hit reminds her of someone she used to train with. But, it also reminds her of someone who was once her friend…

" _If we're not friends…_

" _IT MEANS I CAN DESTROY YOU WITHOUT REGRET!"_

 _Undyne engages in battle with the human for one last time._

" _I've been defeated…my house is in shambles…" She mutters to herself as the human sweats in nervousness. "I even failed to befriend you._

" _That's it. I don't care if you're my guest any more. One final rematch! All out on both sides!" She exclaims in frustration. "IT'S THE ONLY WAY I CAN REGAIN MY LOST PRIDE!_

" _Now come on. Hit me with all you've got!" She screams._

 _The human looks at her with concern. Undyne is letting them make the first attack. She's looking impatient. Gulping, the human reaches out and does a fake attack. They pretend to swing at Undyne with all their might._

 _Undyne twitches. "What. That's the best you can manage?"_

" _Even attacking at full force…" she says, giving the human a look of respect. "You just can't muster any intent to hurt me, huh?"_

 _Silence._

" _Heh." She speaks up again as the two look at each other to sense the other's emotions. "You know what?"_

 _Undyne drops her spear with a slight swoosh. "I don't actually want to hurt you either."_

 _She proceeds to tell the human how much she hated her saccharine shtick at first, but then the way they fight reminds her of someone. Now they aren't just a wimpy loser…they're a wimpy loser with a big heart! Undyne grins at the last part._

 _It sounds about right._

 _Frisk returns her smile._

Undyne stops flinging spears at the human… _Frisk_. In turn, they let go of the spear. They watch Undyne as she approaches them, abruptly ending the fight.

"Listen, human."

Frisk listens to her every word indeed.

"No human has ever made it past Asgore." She repeats, as if she were talking to a toddler. She wants to be clear on why she's doing this. But a part of her also wants to help the human. By now, she's sure they've met before. Undyne even remembers their name now, even though the human hasn't mentioned it at least once. If her memories tell her that Frisk can break the barrier and free all her people, without having to gamble their innocent soul or Asgore's, then maybe…it was worth a try.

"You and Asgore are fated to fight. But knowing him, he probably doesn't want to either. Talk to him. I'm sure…you can persuade him to let you go home." She thinks this is unlikely, but she knows Asgore doesn't really want to hurt anyone. He was never responsible for any of the previous humans' deaths…and hopefully, neither will he be for this one's.

Frisk nods in full understanding.

Undyne turns around. "For now, I need to go. See you around…" She says as she begins to leave.

They follow her with their eyes, full of determination. If they managed to free everyone without killing Asgore before, they could do it again. And knowing they'll have some friends such as Undyne who would be willing to help out, they can't help but smile.

"Stop by if you'd like. I'd…assume you'd want to rekindle our friendship." Undyne adds softly. "Though, if you don't because of the way I acted, it's fine too. I don't remember much about you, I don't even know if my 'memories' are legit or just acting up on me, so I understand if you don't want to…uh…hang out any more."

Frisk calls out their name. Surprised, Undyne turns around to see them giving her a thumbs up. She can't help but return it with a grin.

* * *

deviantART: MarshmallowPapyLove


End file.
